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What's for Dinner?

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A delicious soup that features the sweetness of carrots and orange with the salty crispness of crumbled bacon.

Well, hello!

Tonight’s dinner is a first for this little family.

I’m going to attempt to place a vegetable based soup onto the table and just sit back and see what happens.

As you know, we are a chicken-loving family. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but with temperatures approaching the mid-eighties here I was thinking of something a little lighter for this week’s menu.

To satisfy the meat-a-tarians who reside with me, I’ve made the soup with chicken stock, sauteéd the carrots, onions and garlic in bacon fat (high fives all around) and topped the soup with some crumbled bacon.

There will be bread.

Yes, a large crusty loaf of Italian bread will make its way to the table to soften the blow of this brightly colored soup. I fully expect…

An inspiring breakfast: topped with a dollop of sour cream, this apple-filled pancake is like a mile-high crepe, as delicious as it is beautiful .

Morning rituals. Jack and I start every day with a hearty breakfast. This important meal is usually accompanied with a big mug of coffee or tea and a selection of a few poems, which, lucky for me, are read to me by my favorite reader. A day that starts with healthy fuel for the body and sustenance for the mind is likely to be positive and fruitful (wink).

Our breakfast menus traditionally include items like nourishing hot cereals, egg dishes, or something freshly baked. This morning’s menu came straight from the only baking recipe book I have with me here in Mongolia, The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book. If you are only going to have one recipe book, I highly recommend this one. It includes many foundational recipes for breads and desserts…

It seems only fitting to start off the year with a recipe that includes black-eyed peas, don’t you think? In past years I’ve made Hoppin’ John and they’ve showed up in other dishes too.

One thing I definitely like about this dish is it’s a pretty healthy way to kick off a new year. Considering everything we baked and ate these last few weeks, enjoying a snack laden with all types of vegetables was really lovely. Speaking of all things sugary, I can safely say we left no piece of fudge or sugar cookie untouched. Thankfully, I live with hungry boys who can eat their weight in Christmas sweets.

I decided to cook frozen black-eyed peas, which is rather simple and is a no-soak method. You simply place them into a pot (check for any stones), cover with water and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover…